Impulsive, binge eating happens a lot less frequently these days, and though I never expect to be “perfect,” I have recently been frustrated with how I have been indulging lately. As I tell my clients, an indulgence, or “cheat” should always be WORTH IT. To me, “worth it” foods include a scoop of ice cream, a cupcake or a couple slices of my favorite pizza place. When I mindfully indulge in these treats, I never feel guilty. In fact, I know they are necessary in order for me to stick with my healthy habits…forever.
However, because my impulsive eating tendencies almost happen when I am alone at home, lately I have been overeating the only snacky food we have in the kitchen: Barbara’s Original Puffins Cereal. With just 5g of sugar and 130 calories a serving, it’s not exactly the worst thing I could be eating, but consuming two or three bowls (which, let’s be honest, is probably five servings) with a mound of almond butter on top once a week is not exactly a habit I want to maintain. And after a cereal “binge” on Saturday night, I told Luke I was going to stop buying cereal for a while and he was fine with it.
In fact, if you follow me on Instagram, you know that lately I have been eating quinoa as cereal on the weekends (the only time I eat cereal…usually), and I’ve been loving it. With milk, fruit, shaved almonds, cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup, it is so good and satisfying.
Well, needless to say, yesterday morning I woke up feeling exactly as I did when I went to bed Saturday night…FULL and bloated. Ugh. But I vowed not to eat until I was actually hungry, which my goodness…wasn’t until 4pm! Not only was I disappointed with myself about overdoing it on a “non worth-it” indulgence, but I was also bummed that I couldn’t enjoy one of my favorite weekend treats: Brunch! It might sound drastic that held off eating for so long, but I absolutely hate eating when I’m already full. Actually, this in itself is a new, positive development for me. The “old Ellen” would have eaten anyway because 1.) I want to enjoy my last day of the weekend! and 2.) The clock says it’s time to eat.
So, I started my day with a cup of hot lemon water to let the cleansing begin. The lemon in the water aids digestion and constipation, and helps the liver flush out toxins, which also allows it to metabolize fat properly. I slowly started feeling back to “normal” and I actually enjoyed the lemony taste. I think I just *might* have found a replacement for my morning cup of coffee; however, I know for sure I am not ready to give it up yet! I have more pressing eating habits to address now, which apparently include “cereal binging.”
Some of you may be thinking that my “binge” wasn’t so bad, but I conveniently forgot to mention earlier that it also included a handful of M&Ms (that Luke bought) and a KIND bar (that Luke bought. Hey…I’m seeing a pattern here!). And whether it was “good” or “bad” isn’t really the point. I was mindlessly eating something I didn’t REALLY want. After letting myself dwell on my slip-up for a moment, I took these action steps to learn from it and to work towards feeling better:
1. Firstly, I thought about WHY the binge happened. Was I depriving myself too much during the week? Hmm…no. Was I just bored? Maybe. But the realization I came to was that I mostly just had a moment of simply wanting to be BAD. I had had a few drinks after a late afternoon brunch, and by the time I got home I was just a bit tipsy (it doesn’t take much these days!). I was looking for some “mischief” to get into, which happened I find at the bottom of a cereal box.
Because I was able to pinpoint the issue, I can learn from it, and in the future I will remind myself of this moment when similar feelings or situations arise. Mindlessly eating bowls of cereal and not being able to enjoy Sunday meals certainly was not worth it!
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